SiegeTale (On Hiatus)
by IllusionWriter
Summary: The barrier has fallen and Frisk is no more. The King of Monsters will continue where he left off, and he isn't waiting for any more humans. No, this time, he's coming straight for them. And for this, the humans must prepare.
1. Prolouge

**SiegeTale** created by _**IllusionWriter**_.

 **Undertale** owned by _**Toby Fox**_.

/

 _Sunrise._

 _Sunrise is what had been displayed for them all when the Barrier fell. When they marched outside for the first time. The scenery that was held from us for many years had finally been unlocked for my brethren and sistren to witness._

 _It must have also been around the same time when Frisk fell to the trident._

 _My trident._

 _I hadn't expected to shed so many tears that day. I hadn't expected to shed any. But I had secretly want it to end some other way._

 _My weakness was finally bleeding through. It HAD to end this way. There was_ _ **NO**_ _other way._

 _Humans were the enemy. They are to be put down._

 _That's what I kept telling myself. Even when I began to absorb their SOUL. Even when I was burying them._

 _The seven SOULs were finally gathered at last._

 _News had gotten to my wife fast. Froggits were always like that; fast._

 _She was enraged. More so than ever before. And when she opened the Ruin's doors to leave in what seemed to be the first time in decades, she headed straight for the Delta Rune castle._

 _Straight to me._

 _She yelled, pushing and pounding against my chest. She called me a coward. A coward for not doing such so long ago. For waiting so long._

 _And coward for ending the child's life. Frisk's life._

 _That one stung. A lot. Because I believed that she was right._

 _But there was no turning back. Not now._

 _I had her imprisoned. I said it was for her own safety._

" _ **SAFETY?"**_ _she screamed._

 _If anything, she was trying to protect ME._

 _I had Undyne take her away. She kept telling her that she was sorry; to my wife...my Queen._

" _I'm sorry, Queen."_

" _I'm sorry!"_

" _I'm sorry..."_

 _I don't think Undyne ever stopped repeating it. Even as we had finished locking her in. The Underground, I mean._

 _Monster guards were posted to keep an eye on her and to make sure she didn't escape. My wife...could easily have broken out of her imprisonment and would have easily defeated them. She still could._

 _But she would never try ending the lives of her own people. Of those who had followed her through the centuries; through the decades...and I knew this. She knew I knew this._

 _Even though our motto rang strong...she still had a profound love for her people._

 _ **Kill or be killed.**_

 _ **That was our motto.**_

 _ **But the Queen still had her standards.**_

 _Some other Monsters stayed behind as well. Others did because they weren't the types to fight. Some because they wanted nothing to do with fighting the Humans at all. I called them cowards. I nearly confronted them about this myself. But...I quickly refrained from doing so. It wouldn't have looked good with my title._

 _We've talked a couple of times before; me and my wife. But the conversations of regretfulness, empathy, and sorrow quickly grew shorter and shorter, until she refused to utter a single word. Just met with a deadly silence. Deadly was a good way to describe it. The quiet, dead look she would give me always sliced right through my chest. My heart. Anything from anyone else rarely did._

 _Chara's death still weighed down heavy on her. That human was her only proof that not all Humans were worth killing. She died...and 6 more came. They were not like her Chara...they would never be..._

 _Then Frisk came along..._

 _I had surely broken her Monster SOUL in half the last time I went back down to visit her. I was almost afraid of coming too close for fear of somehow absorbing it. Could Monsters even absorb other Monster's SOULS?_

 _Of course not. I'm rambling now._

 _This all unfolded not too long ago. I have recently lost track of all passing time, but I know this much: It had not been within more than a month. Since we began preparing ourselves for what lay ahead for us on the surface._

 _Now it is time that I must lay my pen down._

 _The siege for the Surface is upon us._

 _And from there on in,_ _ **it's kill or be killed.**_

 _There will be no_ _ **MERCY**_ _for the Overworld._

* * *

 _Asgore floated above the large tower in the center of the city._

A few of his best soldiers stood below on top of it proudly. To get the attention of everyone present who hadn't already noticed their presence, the Monster King summoned a massive columns of flames into the air from which he stood. The select human masses that were unaware looked to the sky. Some in wonder. Some in fear. Some in utter shock.

The light-blue hue of the sky changed. The sky became redder, taking over the newly-developed sunrise.

Then, a loud, booming voice echoed down to them.

"Humans!" Asgore bellowed, his regal, red cape waving gracefully behind him. "We have come to reclaim this world-"

Some of the humans down below quickly interjected him.

"Demon!"

"W-who...what the hell is that?"

"It's-their _monsters_!"

 _Well, at least that one got it right...but at what context?_

"S-someone, call the police, military...somebody!"

Asgore had completely underestimated the number of Humans he had expected to encounter. He imagined more villages, not..."metal" kingdoms. At least that's what it looked like to him. _Things must have changed dramatically since our concealment..._

" **Go back to where you came from, you-you demon!** " a voice rang out through the commotion of the many terrified and confused humans.

A few of Asgore's companions blinked at the spoken words.

This snapped Asgore from his thoughts, turning towards the source of the overshadowing command.

The human who had spoken those words was now seeable, pushing himself through the frightened crowd of humans, brandishing a...weapon of some kind. One that Asgore had never seen before in his time.

It was a Human male who looked about in his early fifties. "I knew this would happen eventually..." the older human muttered to himself, raising the weapon to point directly at the Monster King.

Then the human fired.

The projectile met against Asgore's chest armor, bouncing off like it were nothing; just left a small, nearly unnoticeable dent. It caused the King to flinch, but he stood strong where he was.

"What?" The gun-wielding human lowered his eye from the sights, the muzzle wavering downwards slightly as the human went wide-eyed.

"Human! Cease your attacki-"

Another shot rang out, cutting the King's words off. The crowd parted away from the gun-wielding human. The second bullet shot toward not the King, but toward his Monster brethren.

The Monster King grew alert and immediately took action. He whipped out a long, fiery trail of flames that formed into a crimson trident. Gripping it tightly, he swung it with grace, stopping the bullet and deflecting it elsewhere. His perception...ever since he had absorbed the seven human SOULs, his senses and strength had heightened ten-fold.

"Why won't you just die!?" The maddened human yelled as he shoved two more shells into his rifle.

"I'll kill you! All of yo-"

Asgore _snapped_.

" **ENOUGH!"** The Monster King roared as he thrusted his spear down at an immense speed.

The gun dropped from the angry human's hand and met the pavement with a *clack*.

The trident had pierced through the man before he could even blink, pinning him against a nearby car.

And then the screaming.

 _So_ much screaming.


	2. 2 Months Later

_**VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.**_

 **After all, this is practically a war, and there will be a good amount of fighting. Between the two. Humans and Monsters.**

 **Monsters? When they're killed, they simply turn to dust.**

 **When Humans are killed? Not so much.**

 **But don't take this warning too seriously, I'm not the super-detailed gore-heavy type of writer. I only write what's necessary for the story. There may be some points where I feel it's necessary to describe some scenes, and say some curses, but I won't go all 'Saw' on ya. I promise. ;)**

/

● 2 Weeks later ●

Footsteps.

Ones that ran away.

The human turned a corner sharply, impacting the wall as he continued through the poorly lit corridors of the huge restaurant, finding the kitchen. It had red and white checkered pattern tiles to the walls and floors. Pots and spatulas hung from their handles. A deadly quiet was present.

Then he heard clanking in the distance.

Armor clanking.

"Oh no..." 

The human hid behind one of the counters and waited for it's approach. The clanking became louder and louder, until...

It stopped right in front of the double doors he had entered through.

He just knew it would find him eventually.

So he took a dare.

Bringing his head up slowly, he peaked past the top of the kitchen counter, his eyes widening automatically.

It was over six feet tall. It's armor had a great resemblance to a knight's armor; gray was it's original color, but the moonlight that shined through the windows gave it a more of a bright shine. Like the moonlit sky. A rather long, red pony tail protruded out from the back of the Monster's helmet, glistening along with it's only spot of the Monster's body that wasn't covered by armor was it's gloved hands.

It took all of his might to pry his terrified eyes from the glowing, red spear the armored Monster that stood only seconds away from him held.

The silence ended once again, the Monster's armor clanking as it slowly searched around, in and out of the vicinity of nearly reaching him. And now it was now literally four feet in front of where he hid himself. Still couldn't spot him, as the counter was between them, but what could he do? He really wasn't here to fight anyways...and even if he were to, what could he do? What could someone like him do-

" **Mam!"**

The human teen's heart jumped abruptly as he heard the words echo into the dark kitchen he was in. Another pair of footsteps, lighter than the armored Monster's was, ran into the large kitchen, eventually stopping where he had last saw the armored creature searching for him.

"Mam, I've got some news from the king! Ha-have you found any stray Humans yet?" the voice asked, it's voice unmistakably nervous.

An unsettling collection of metal clanking against metal as the armor moved with it's owner in an unknown direction. Then a voice. A rather distorted voice, most likely due to the helmet.

"... _No_. I thought I did, but no, not this time...what is it the King suggests that I know?" the deep, but clearly feminine voice demanded softly, taking footsteps away from the counter and slowly back through the double doors.

"The party he had sent out a few days ago discovered the whereabouts of a rebel group just outside the city. He wants...you..go...end..."

Then the voices faded away into the distance.

When the hidden human finally deemed it safe enough, he let out his pent up breath and scrambled to his feet, rising to his full height. His legs were still shaking.

"Stop it, legs. I need to get myself together. That...that was too close." he said to himself, straightening the straps of his backpack over his shoulders.

He had originally come for one reason. To gather more food and supplies for his friends and to be on their way _out_ of Ebott city. And it looks like they had unintentionally prolonged their stay. By just a _bit_. He and a friend had come almost ten minutes away from their hideout to ensure that they had more food to spare. You know, so they wouldn't starve to death, and all.

Ebott City had been the first city to fall to the Monster's attack.

And now just minutes before, they were on their stealthy little merry way until a certain _someone_ just had to knock over a trash can lid. That person bolted. And he, of course, was left to clean up the mess.

"How could they have been so close..." the human teen muttered to himself as he tip-toed out of the kitchen and into the back. Now in front of him was a short hallway with only three doors. The two to the left and right were the men and woman's restroom. In front of him, just behind another corner, was the back exit.

The clear glass door had easily let in the bright shine of the moon through it.

" _Where could she be? She wouldn't of just left me here, now would she?"_ the teen thought bitterly to himself as he slowly inched his way toward the the Woman's restroom door. A low, creaking noise ensued as he began to push the door inwards, whispering just loud enough for anyone inside to hear.

" _Maria_...Maria?"

A slight pause, then he let the door close.

The Men's room was next. Although, he doubted he would get any luckier. He repeated his actions with this door as well, leaning inside and whispering his companion's name.

"Maria, are you there? Maria..."

No dice.

Sighing as quietly as he could, he found himself back in the middle of the hallway, staring at the exit. Sighing a second time, he power-walked to the exit door, passing by the corner to get to it, when...

*SLAM!*

He had hit the floor before he could even register what had happened. On top of him, stood a figure, clearly human and female. The figure's hair whipped back slightly as the human reached at her side for something.

"Wait, Maria! Stop, it's m-!" he tried to finish before a hand came clamping over his mouth.

"I know, I know. Calm down." the female said, rising to her feet and holding out her hand to him.

He grabbed it, Maria pulling him to his. "Sorry about that...good thing I realized who you were at the last second." she stated nonchalantly, sliding back the knife into it's sheath that was clipped to her belt.

"Yeah, tell me about it." the male teen muttered, mock-dusting himself off.

Maria snapped her head back to her friend as she leaned against the wall. "I thought you were dead, _Icarus_! Where were you?" she silently hissed as she crossed her arms tightly.

"Oh, I was just trying not to get spotted and killed by a medieval-armor wearing killer Monster. Right after you knocked over that trash can lid to attract it's attention, of course." the male, now known as Icarus, tried to say as calmly as he possibly could.

Maria's eyes widened for just a second, her expression going back to that of neutrality the very next.

"Oh...right."

"Yeah, and we still need to get the goods, so we need to act fast. Who knows what else could be heading this way." Icarus reminded her, slowly cautioning his way back into the big kitchen.

As they entered, Icarus carefully monitored the front of the restaurant, peeking through the blinds of the windows to see if they were truly in the clear. And then they went to work, checking the cabinets for canned goods and boxes; anything that could seal the deal for them.

As Icarus searched away from Maria, she spotted the freezer section, opening it's glass doors to see the florescent lights click on in reaction. The lights blinded her vision promptly, and her hand covered her eyes in instinctive reaction. After she regained her sight, she widened her hazel eyes in surprise.

"Hey. This is chalk full of ice cream! And they have _Klondike bars_."

Icarus muttered something under his breath.

Maria caught ear of Icarus's jumbled whisper, a wide smile growing on her face.

"What wouldja do-oo-oo for a-"

"Maria! This isn't the time. We need to hurry up. And I don't think it would be wise to bring a bunch of ice cream back with us. We don't exactly have a portable freezer." Icarus noted.

"Oh yeah, you're right about that."

Maria took one of the Klondike bars and set it on top of one of the nearby counters, closing the fridge. She took off her backpack to help her friend with packing in food. All the while, a question had been pooling in her mind, waiting to be released.

"Hey, you said you ran into one of the Monsters, right? An armored one?"

Icarus stopped his looting, turning to face Maria with a somewhat grave look. "Yeah...terrified the crap out of me. It must have been from nearby somewhere to hear _tippy-toe trash can noise-maker_ beside me."

"Okay. I get it. I messed up."

Icarus sighed, turning back to his backpack and zipping it up. "It's alright. Anyways, I hid behind...this counter, actually," he continued, pointing at the counter Maria had placed her ice cream sandwich.

"I was nearly a goner, but another Monster came in telling her that their..."king" had need her elsewhere, or something like that." Icarus finished, putting his backpack back on.

"King? Must be the mastermind behind this whole charade..."

"No doubt. It also said that there was a rebel group of humans outside of the city that...will probably not be among the living pretty soon." Icarus added.

"You mean, "dead", right?" Maria said bluntly.

"By now? Yes, might as well be."

Maria looked to the ground, lost in some kind of thought that Icarus was unsure of.

"Well, we might as well get going. At least that armored Monster is heading _away_ from us, so we _need_ to get moving. Might not get so lucky next time. "

 _ **Three minutes.**_

That's the time it took for the two to scavenge as much as they could and scram. However, the trip back would take a while longer.

The large city, as one would probably think, somewhat matched the qualities of what a city would look like in the aftermath of a giant monster attack in some sci-fi movie. And while they're weren't any buildings laying on top of each other and huge city monuments slung miles from their original positions, there were massive holes in skyscrapers, fire damages in neighboring buildings that were long snuffed out, and smashed up cars and trucks every two blocks or so.

They stuck close to the shadows and in nearby alleyways.

Monsters had by no means up and abandoned the city, and that was made clear by their recent encounter not very long ago. Icarus had noticed that a large amount of them seemed to gather around and inside of the Ebott Tower in the center of the city from time to time, and the frequency of such gatherings seemed to grow. It uneased him.

But, overall, they were fewer in numbers here, the majority following the commands of their "ruler" to focus on the neighboring towns and establishments, expanding until...

That was exactly what was on Icarus's mind.

" _How far would this crusade go? How could they possibly lay ruin to an entire race? Why? As unprepared as we were, and still are...how far-"_

"Icarus!"

Icarus was brought out of his worrying, bringing his gaze back up to Maria as they walked.

"Were almost there, alright? Just a few more minutes." she reminded him.

She always seemed to know when his thoughts weren't so bright. Seemingly always ready to remind him to keep his head in the game. No need to remind him now. This was the time for _bravery_. There was a long road ahead of them after all.

And speaking of roads...

The minutes passed by, and they eventually found themselves just down the street from where their refuge resided. It was located within a collection of a normal-sized houses. The homes went down the left of the long street in a line.

Once their group had deemed this part of the city as the safest, they had all agreed to choose this group of houses as one of their safe-havens. They made sure they picked a house in the middle section from the rest to help ensure the greater possibility of NOT being discovered. Even if it only arose the possibility by a fraction, it was still something.

Of course, they were, by no means, ever truly safe to begin with. Not while they were still in this city.

In front of them, just beyond the wooden fence, was the first of these houses.

"Homestretch, Maria. We jut ne-"

Icarus was cut off by the pull of his backpack, sending him backwards behind some nearby trees. Grunting as he hit the ground with a thud, he quickly got into the crouching position and store at Maria, who had her pointer finger pressed against her lips.

"Shhh..."

" _You_ 'shhhh'."

"Listen."

Taking her words to heart, Icarus focused his listening, keeping as still as he possibly could. And his heartbeat grew faster at hearing the faint words not very far from where they hid.

"We're always getting the lame jobs. Why do we have to patrol this dead wasteland of a city? We haven't seen a human here for weeks, save for that one, which by the way wondered _back_ into this stupid city." a voice spoke, clearly agitated.

"Ugh, stop complaining, Loox. Do you really want to be out there fighting in huge battles and such? I know the humans are weak and all now, but it's like you _want_ to lose your life. Besides, don't you like laying back and letting them come to us?" a more lighter, feminine voice countered.

"Yeah. It would be easier for us. So why don't we all just _"chill out"_ and wait for the next sucker to pass by?" a third voice added in, snickering.

A quick scoff and a reply. "Would you stop with the stupid puns, Snowdrake? It's not even close to as cold as it was in Snowdin as it is here!"

"Okay, sheesh...just tryin' to lighten the mood."

As the three voices mumbled on, Maria searched the ground around her, looking for something.

"What are you planning?" Icarus asked as he watched her pull out her flashlight, turn it on and search the terrain underneath her, careful not to draw any attention with it.

"We need to get back into our hideout, pronto," she told him, holding up four decent-sized rocks. "And I know just how."

She moved to the fence that separated them from the Monsters and peeked through one of the small gaps, spotting them in the first house's backyard.

And then the two humans heard something that made them both **extremely** uneasy.

"Say, have we ever checked these houses before?"

"Naw...but I doubt any of them would be out here. Not so close to the tower at least. Why would the enemy find refuge so close to the base, anyways?"

Icarus and Maria shuttered. _Of course_. _Ebott Tower._ _The gathering of Monsters that resided there._ How could they have been so stupid?

Maria acted without hesitation. She launched the first rock, landing a hit against the closest side of the house the Monsters resided by.

"Well, maybe we shou- hey, what was that?"

She waited until the three Monsters were around the side of the house, rearing her arm back to throw the second stone. It landed in the middle of the street.

"What? Is there someone out there?"

"Let's go see..."

Rearing her arm back for the third time, Maria made sure to make this one as precise as possible. Just across the road from them was another line of taller buildings, and in the middle was an alleyway that led out into another street. After a moment of concentration, she let it fly.

A brief moment of silence, and then...

 ***click, clack***

The rock had successfully landed in the alleyway, impacting a brick wall and coming down with a loud _bang_ against some foreign object; most likely a dumpster.

"Over there! It-it came from over there! Let's check it out."

"Another Human, perhaps?"

"Maybe...let's not keep it waiting."

Snickering and mischievous giggling...and then the voices disappeared.

The two waited for a few seconds before deeming it safe to move about.

"Damn, Maria. Your aim is on point." Icarus complemented, looking over the wooden fences before gripping the top to vault over it.

"What can I say...I'm a natural." Maria replied with a shrug and a smile.

Icarus silently chuckled as she cleared the fence, landing quietly beside him. They quickly scanned the area around them and made their way through the first backyard, stopping at the second fence.

Just before Icarus could hop it, Maria grabbed his shoulder, causing him to turn around.

"Did you hear what they said? About the tower?" she asked him, her eyes glinting. Even in the night, the worried expression was easy to spot.

"Yeah...sounds like they've made it their headquarters. Must be where their..."

Icarus had tried to shake the idea off, but it seemed that he couldn't anymore. So he asked the main question of concern.

"Maria, this "king" of theirs...you don't think that Ebott Tower is his new castle, do you?"

A silence, before Maria replied grimly. "As close as your are to being right...I really hope not, Icarus. Otherwise, we better start praying."

"I knew we should've took the chance to leave last week."

"Look, we've still got some time left. But it'd be best if we could get moving as soon as we possibly can." Maria assured, reaching upwards and jumping over the next fence.

Sighing, Icarus reached up, repeating the action.

"Yeah..."

They had finally made it to the house that they had called theirs. Approaching the back door, they had spotted the red symbol that was drawn at the bottom of the door. A circle with a line slashed through it.

It was a smart plan the group had come up with. Well, more specifically, their good friend, _Elliot_.

Wherever they would choose to stay would be marked with this symbol, just somewhere around the edge of the door, or entrance. It let the group know exactly where they were. Whenever they would leave it, the circle was colored in. Icarus had asked Elliot why they didn't just settle for an 'X', but he noted that it would be too obvious. _Clever kid, that Elliot was. And still is._

The knock Icarus made against the door was coded as well.

The two awaited a response, until the back door finally creaked open slowly...

"Bout' time you two. Come on in." a younger voice told them.

"Yeah. And boy, do we have a story for you guys." Icarus said, entering inside with Maria right behind him.

...

...

...

Icarus, Maria, and three other humans sat in the living room, the wall lights plugged into the nearby sockets being their only source of light.

"So what happened, you two?" one of the three humans asked, straightening his glasses and leaning forward in eagerness to be filled in.

Maria and Icarus sat on the rug in front of the three, who all resided on the couch in front of them.

"Elliot, you would never believe us." Icarus told him, earning a huff from the kid.

"Try me."

"Alright," Icarus replied simply, leaning back as he and Maria readied the tale.

And after a few minutes, the story was finished. Elliot had his chin resting on his knuckles, and _Chloe_ and _Nyle_ , both twins, gazed on with him. Chloe had put on a worried expression while her brother Nyle store with neutrality.

"Gracious, that's scary...I'm glad you both made it back okay." Chloe sighed, leaning back against the soft sofa.

"Wait," Elliot said, grabbing a notebook that laid on the ground in front of him. "What did this armored Monster look like _exactly_?" he questioned intriguingly, the clicking of his pen notifying everyone that he was ready to write.

"Elliot, do you feel the need to write down everything?" Nyle asked, raising his eyebrows.

 _Rhetorical question of course. Nyle just hasn't been around Elliot long enough to know that._

"'Don't you ever run out of ink', should be the real question," Maria added in.

"I never leave without an extra pen," Elliot said as-of-matter-of-factually, his eyes brought back to the form of Icarus in a flash.

"The armored Monster, I need details. Could you describe it to me?"

Icarus rubbed the back of his head before giving in to his piercing, analytical stare.

"Okay, uh...it wore metal armor, like a knight, and had a red ponytail that that ran out of the back of it's helmet. One red, menacingly-glowing eye and a glowing red spear, which by the way, almost had my name on it."

"Would you like me to add that part too?"

"Cute."

Maria got up, and took a quick peek outside the window to the backyard before drawing herself back to the group. "Yeah, and I hope you also wrote down the part where we found three Monsters loitering just down the street from us. It's long overdue, but we need to get the heck away from here."

Nyle was the second to arise. "She's right. We need to pack what we need and make a plan, now."

As everyone went to work with packing the essentials, Chloe walked up to Icarus, her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "Hey Icarus?"

Icarus turned around swiftly, pausing before dropping the small first aid kit in the bag he was packing. "Yep, what is it?"

"Do you really think that Ebott Tower is where their base of operations is? The...the thought of us being here for so long and that alone..."

Icarus reached a hand to rest on her shoulder. "Yes, I'm almost certain. But don't worry, Chloe. We'll be okay if we leave before morning." he assured her, smiling and earning one in return.

"Okay...I should go help my brother." Chloe said, turning to run upstairs.

...

Elliot beamed his flashlight up and down the inside of the closet, making sure he left nothing of importance behind.

Maria stood behind him, holding two different colored book-bags in front of her, weighing her options.

"Hey, Elli? Which would you prefer is best for me, pink or red?"

Elliot rolled his eyes in annoyance, them never leaving the task in front of him.

"This isn't the time for pondering, Maria. We needed to be out of here five hours ago.." Elliot told her. "And don't call me Elli..." he muttered under his breath.

Maria stopped for a second, tossing the pink bag aside. "I know, it's just not easy leaving nearly all of your clothes behind. I can't decide...you might just need to leave _me_ behind." she joked.

Sighing, Elliot turned to his companion. But instead of saying something to counter her words, he asked her a question that took her by surprise. Well, kinda.

"Do you think we should booby-trap this place? You know, before we leave?"

Maria blinked at the question. "Well, not unless we know that Monsters are on their way here right now. And we don't exactly have C4's and grenades, either, Elliot. Besides, what if another Human, or some innocent Monster comes wondering through here?"

Elliot blinked at her last bit of words.

"There are _no_ innocent Monsters." he stated as plainly as he could, keeping his emotions at bay.

"We don't know that, Elliot. Monsters have to of had lives, just like us. They have to have kids and parents too."

Elliot remained quiet after hearing this. Just then, Nyle came into the room.

"You two almost done? Icarus says it's nearly time."

Maria and Elliot turned towards him. "Yeah, just a minute. A few more things and I'm good." Maria told him as he nodded and headed back out the door, his footsteps heard tapping back down the stairs.

As she turned back, she found that Elliot was staring silently at her through his rimmed glasses before zipping up his bag and walking out of the room.

 _Geesh, that kid can be intimidating when he wants to be,_ Maria thought as she continued her packing.

...

"The city's entrance is just east of us, so if we head out now, we should be at the city entrance before the sun is out. As long as their aren't any hindrances along the way." Elliot told them as they strapped on their book-bags.

"What time is it, Maria?" Nyle asked.

Maria checked her watch, the glowing, digital numbers giving her his answer. "It's 3:35."

"Alright...this is it guys and gals. We've got a plan, and we need to stick to it." Icarus told them as he slowly opened the back door, checking for any danger first.

And then they were on their way out.

 **AN:**

 **The beginning of a lengthy journey...**

 **Here are some character descriptions and traits to help you understand them better:**

●Icarus \- Male teen. 18 years old. A natural improviser. Is never afraid to die for a cause, especially for his friends. However, knows when to back off call it quits. Brown eyes, Black hair. **Has the Orange SOUL:** _ **Bravery**_.

●Maria \- Female teen. 17 years old. Blue eyes. Brunette hair. Has a knack for playing it stealthy. The first to leave when in turmoil, and the fastest to return to strike when it's least expected. Holds the **Pale-Blue SOUL:** _ **Patience**_

●Elliot \- Male adolescent. 12 years old. A natural thinker and obsessive planner. Seemingly always has a notebook and pen on him. For some as young, he should REALLY be in collage. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Wears your typical dorky glasses. Within him resides the **Purple SOUL:** _ **Perseverance**_.

●Chloe \- 12 years old. Twin sister to Nyle. Always worried, but never low on morale. She was on a search along with her brother to find their parents when they met Maria and Icarus. She still is. Blonde hair with a red bow clipped onto it. Has the **Dim-Green SOUL:** _ **Hope**_ , like her brother. Dim-green eyes (who would've guessed?).

●Nyle \- 14 years old. Twin brother to Chloe. The quiet type, but has a bold attitude. Will do absolutely ANYTHING to ensure that her sister stays alive. Was taught the basics of survival by his father. Black hair and dim-green eyes. Has a **Dim-green SOUL:** _ **Hope**_ , just like his sister.

 _ **Whelp, that's it. Next chapter, coming up.**_


	3. Hide and Seek

**Just so were clear, this is an** _ **Underfell**_ **AU** **. It makes writing about the story and all the action soo much more easier. I would of had no problem at all writing this based on the the normal Undertale, but I just can't see our original, lovable, tea-loving Asgore really going to war again with Humans. He has too much of a conscious, and I don't see him going farther than reaping Humans who came into their territory.**

 **That, and writing about his agony and suffering wouldn't be so fun for me...but for Underfell's Asgore...this could get interesting.**

 **I'm rambling now. Time for more** **SiegeTale** **.**

/

 _"It was hardly even a battle."_

 _"As much as the Humans tried, it had all been in vain."_

 _"And now, we are soon to expand our victories."_

 _"I have one of them now. A Human. In the lab with me."_

 _"There are so many things to try, and I have a seemingly unlimited supply of test subjects out there in the world._ "

"I know you re reading this. Yes, I am talking to you, human reader."

"Dr. Gaster. Why am I not surprised to find you here so late in the night?"

W.D Gaster turned around in his chair with a start, his eye sockets narrowing after seeing the source of the words. His eye (sockets) averted back to the journal and continued writing.

"What do you want Dr. Alphys?" Gaster asked rather plainly, really with absolutely no interest at all.

But then again, he _was_ talking to _Alphys_. He wouldn't of been surprised if she were to ask if she could " _talk"_ to the captured human to help him _"feel better"_.

"Just wanted to check up on our new specimen. That's all." Alphys said, her sweetening tone a bit questionable.

 _Ah, my hunch was correct._

"We need him alive, Dr. Alphys."

Alphys's eyes closed shut and smile widened as she straightened her rounded glasses. "I never said I was going to kill him. Grumpy 'ol Asgorey wanted me to tell him that he was due for a... _discussion_ , as best as I can put it."

For as long as he had been working with her, Gaster still had issues with trusting Alphys. She could be unpredictable at times, and sometimes, although he would never admit it vocally, downright disturbing. But lest he chance invoking the wrath of his king...

" _Fine_. The key is-"

"Hanging on the ring holder inside of the glass box mounted on the wall beside the door, I know."

 _Ah, so you've been down there before..._

"Then you know your way. Leave me to my work. And _don't_ kill him." Gaster told her sternly as he turned back to his journal.

"Don't need to tell me twice, Gaster." Alphys replied, whispering in a sing-song manner as her heels made their way down the stairs beside him.

...

A click was made as Alphys turned the key, pushing and twisting it through the hole in the door's knob. With her grip on the knob, she slowly opened the door. The reptile was met with a cold breeze. Down the stairs in front of her was the specimen she had been called to speak to. A human indeed.

The flickering of the single, fluorescent light that hung above showed him off. In a navy blue suit and white tie, he was, tied up with rope to the metal chair he was seated upon. Facing _away_ from her.

 _This should be fun_ , she thought mischievously.

The human's head jerked up immediately after hearing the unknown assailant enter, the clacking of heels growing closer...very slowly.

"W-who's there? Look I-I don't know anything, okay! Please just-" The human halted his panicked speech, noticing the footsteps had stopped just behind him.

A chilling silence was all there was between the human and the unknown. The cold temperature level of the room was not helping. Before the human could react, a yellow, scaly hand gripped his chin and forcefully turned his head to the left.

The human's eyes met the sight of a lizard-like monster, wearing a white lab coat and sporting rounded glasses, the red spirals in each lens rendering her eyes unseeable.

"Well, hello there."

The human stuttered in his fear. "W-what do you want? I told you already, I don't know anything! Please!"

Alphys seemed drunk off of the intoxicating fear the terrified human was giving off. Her eyes dropped low and her sharp teeth were in full view.

"Oh, calm down...I came down here for a different reason. I was sent to inform you that our king is to speak with you soon. Ya know, to clarify some things."

The lizard doctor grinned widely as the human's eyes grew larger, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks.

"K-king?"

"Correct...but for now...how about we have a little.. _.fun_."

Slowly, Alphys brung her right hand into view, revealing a needle, some kind of dark-blue liquid content contained within the tube connected to it.

"Now, close your eyes." Alphys said in a dark whisper, putting a hand over his mouth and bringing the sharp edge of the needle closer and closer to his neck.

The muffled cries were not enough to stop the needle from growing nearer.

The room door was suddenly swung open, a rather unimpressed skeleton staring down at them through the shuttering of the fluorescent light.

"Dr. _Alphys_ , WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU?" Gaster yelled, his voice ringing down in a booming echo.

Alphys flinched the needle's point away slightly, looking up at the unappeased scientist. She removed her hand from the nearly traumatized human's mouth, causing him to let out a pent up, shaky gasp. Slowly tilting her spiraled glasses so her ruby-red eyes were now visible, she store at him with narrowed eyes.

"I said I wasn't going to kill him. You said _nothing_ about torture."

Gaster sighed deeply, face-palming himself as he brung his skeletal thumb and pointer finger to rest on the bridge of...where his nose would have been.

" _Please_ , Dr. Alphys. _Leave. Him. Be_. The king needs him to be able to talk as well." Gaster scolded at her, beckoning her back up the stairs with the motioning of his pointer finger.

"Now come. We have other things to discuss."

Alphys shrugged, turning back to the human. He flinched as the female scientist held out her arm, unhesitatingly injecting herself with the unknown blue substance. She lightly slapped the area with her hand, giving out a slight chuckle.

"It's just colored water."

The lizard monster laughed foolhardily as she made her way back up the stairs, slamming the door behind her and leaving the scared human alone once more.

...

...

...

"Come on, now isn't the time to rest."

"Oh, give us a break. They won't find us here. Were safe for now."

Elliot had been pushing the group forward ever since they left their base, constantly reminding them that lesser steps forward meant closer steps to their deaths.

But Maria had convinced him to let them rest. A crowning achievement on her behalf. And so the group had stopped by a small ring of stores and buildings and kept close to the darkness, unsure of just how safe they really were. For all they knew, someone could be watching them right now..

"Alright. Who needs to take a leak, 'cause I sure need to." Nyle said, raising a hand in the air.

Elliot gave him an incredulous look. "Didn't we already handle this nonsense before we left the base?"

"Yes. Yes, we did. And guess who's tank still isn't on empty."

Maria held in a laugh as Elliot slapped his forehead with his hand, dragging it down to his chin in a swift motion. "Alright...alright, just be quick, _please.."_

Nyle smiled, more or less sarcastically, and gave him an exaggerated nod. "Yes sir."

But Elliot's frown grew as he realized the direction he was heading.

"Nyle, where are you going? Just use the movie theater's bathroom! It's literally only seconds away!" Elliot shouted as quietly as he could. But Nyle's reasoning was all but to impress the glasses-wearing kid.

"I hate movie theater bathrooms. I don't trust them. But that restaurant right there," Nyle pointed across the street to a rather large building with a sign on it's roof that read: **Malco's Pizzeria Restaurant**. "I've been there 'couple times with my sis. Their bathrooms are royalty."

"Um, are you sure Nyle?" Chloe spoke up.

Icarus laughed, approaching alongside Nyle. Bringing an arm around his shoulder, he turned to Elliot. "Tell ya what, Elliot. I'll go with pizza boy here; watch his back and all that. And then maybe next time, we'll help him conquer his fear of movie theater bathrooms. We'll be quick."

Elliot seemed to give up at this point, turning away slightly and straightening his glasses. " _Fine_. But don't take long. That's _all_ I want."

"As you wish, King Elliot."

"Stop that."

Nyle led the way as Icarus followed, crossing the moonlit street and to the front of the pizza place. Nyle jogged up to the door and put a hand on the door's handle.

"Have you really ever been here before?"

"Yeah, I was being serious." Nyle replied. "And I'm pretty sure the pizza is spoiled by now, so..."

Nyle quietly chuckled. It had been a while since he had. Honestly, ever since his parents had left, he had silently fell into a quiet depression. They had went on a quick trip out of town, promising them that they would return the next day. They never did. It was just their luck that the monsters attacked the same day. God only knew what had happened to his and his sister's parents. 2 weeks is _way_ too long. But he still had _hope_ that they were okay.

 _They had to be okay..._

"Hey, pizza boy?"

Nyle snapped out of his daydream, turning his head sharply to Icarus. "Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something. Not the time for that; I know."

"Heh, yeah."

"Well, who knows," Nyle started, a grin growing on his face. He pushed inwards, the wooden door opening them to the inside of the restaurant.

"Maybe the pizza is still-"

Nyle's heart froze. His eyes widened as they met a terrifying sight.

Nine feet in front of him, right behind the counter, stood a humanoid monster. The still-illuminating light of the moon glinted off of a sharp object against the throat of...another human, who was pinned against a wall with the monster's hand around his neck. The monster's head snapped to glare at them. Bright, red eyes shone through the dim room of the restaurant.

"Oh. More _prey_. Don't worry though, as soon as I'm done here, you'll have your turn too. Just be patient." the masculine voice said casually, a menacing dread laced in every word uttered.

Nyle's blood had run cold, and he couldn't move.

"Now then," the Monster said, turning back to the human it captured. "Looks like the fun ends here." The sharp object was pressed harder against the human's throat, the man's screams constricted by the monster's hand.

"Nyle!"

"..."

"NYLE! LET'S GO! **NOW**!"

His companion's booming voice thawed his paused movements, and he bolted back out the restaurant doors along side his friend without wasting another second. Icarus's and Nyle's feet pounded against the paved street as they stopped in front of the now worried group.

"What are you guys doing, having a foot race-"

"No time, Maria! Another monster *gasp*in the restaurant *gasp* We need to run, NOW!" Icarus breathed. The quick and unexpected sprint had drained his stamina.

"Wha-"

Before Maria could finished, the restaurant's double wooden doors burst open, five adult figures strolling out. All Monsters.

"Heheh, that _was_ fun. Now where are those two punks?" a voice said aloud. A familiar voice to Icarus's and Nyle's ears.

The monster's eyes averted to the right, and straight at the group of humans.

The monster's grin could be felt even from the distance. "There you are. And you've brought friends. How sweet." It approached slowly, the moonlight now shining upon it and it's group. The one that had attacked the human in the pizza place led from the front. He was a humanoid lion, wearing a black leather jacket, leather pants and spiked boots of the same color. His eyes gave off the same blood-red glow it did earlier.

The ones who followed behind him, a humanoid wolf, lizard, and bull monster, all lined up beside him as they came closer. They all sported similar clothing as the lion.

"Run guys, now!" Maria shouted as she dashed away, the rest of the group repeating the action.

"Well, boys. It seems we have a chase on our hands. Why don't we give them a head start. There just kids, after all." the lion said, still staring in the fleeing human's direction.

"But _Leon_ , the king said that all humans needed to be eliminated immedia-"

The bull monster's mouth shut tightly, refusing to open up again. Leon had turned around, giving him a stare he knew far to well.

"You _heard_ me. We'll give 'em 10 seconds to split. Then, there _ours_."

"Y-yes, alright."

Leon snickered to himself, folding his arms. _"Ten..."_

Elliot, Chloe, Nyle, and Icarus sprinted as far as they could, Maria leading the way.

" _Six..."_

"Guys, why are they just sitting there?" Chloe pointed out, looking back for only a slither of a second.

"Because they're toying with us. Giving us a head start. I say that was a foolish decision." Maria said, pointing at the close-by movie theater. "We'll cut through there. Go through the ba-"

"No! We need to split and throw them off. Better chances of survival. They'll have to deal with two groups of us rather than a whole sheep heard. Trust me!" Elliot yelled.

" _One."_

Leon whipped out his switchblade, licking the silver blade from hilt to tip with his tongue. "It's showtime, boys."

The monster gang began to dash for them, their speed taking the humans completely by surprise.

"Oh sh*t, their fast! Maybe I called their bluff. Elliot, Chloe, your with me. Inside the movie theater! Icarus and pizza boy, meet us at the street Elliot told us about. Lets make haste!"

Now at the door of the theater and with time to spare, Maria stopped and pointed at the two boys as they ran in an opposite direction. "And don't go dying on me, Icarus! You still owe me for making me leave those Klondike bars behind!"

"I wouldn't give you the satisfaction!" Icarus shouted back.

"Keep Chloe safe!" Nyle added in a yell as he and Icarus made their way farther, and farther away down the opposite end of the shopping square road.

"Damn..." Leon muttered as he and his boys stopped beside the theater. "These rascals are smarter than your average human...we'll split up. Bull and I will take these suckers in the movie theater. Wolfie and Keen, go after those fun-runners down the street. They won't get far without tiring out. Let's get this over with."

They all nodded, taking their respective routes. Leon watched Wolfie and Keen run down the road Icarus and Nyle just had. He turned to Bull with a wide grin. "Now, let's see just how long they all last."

He clutched the door to the movie theater and swung them open, walking in as calm as can be.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are." Leon said aloud, a wicked tone sliding through every word.

Chloe nearly let out a whimper that was quickly muffled by Elliot's hand as the they heard the two monsters slide through the kitchen doors and into the room they where hidden in. The two hid in the cupboards below a counter farthest away from the doors the Monsters had entered through.

The one Maria had hidden in was closer and the first of the three behind her.

"Alright, let's play a little game...it's called hide and seek. But I guess we're already playing it now, heheh." Leon teased as he scraped his sharp switchblade against the granite kitchen counter. The one Maria hid under.

"Here's how it goes. I know that you punks are hiding in on of these little doors, so I'll make it a little more fair for ya. I get five tries to guess right. If I stab five doors without a human cowering behind it, I'll leave and give ya another chance to run. If I happen to stab a door that your in...well, you know what comes next. Okay, start!" Leon said with haste. He silently walked around the kitchen, contemplating on his first choice.

Maria was shaking in from the anticipation, trying not to bump any pots and cooking utensils that lay store in the cupboards with her. _"Ugh, this is so ironic. First Icarus hides from a freakishly intimidating monster in a restaurant, and now I get my turn! Only there's an extra one for me!"_

She flinched suddenly as she heard the monster's switchblade dig deep into one of the cupboard doors to her left. " _One_. Let's see what's inside." she heard the lion monster remark as a slow creaking was heard.

"No luck for me this time," Leon said, pulling the blade out of the wooden door with ease.

Maria silently prayed that he'd stayed away from Elliot's counter. Away from the cupboards where he and Chloe hid themselves. She would rather die herself than as so much as see them get injured.

Then the sound of the blade impaling wood. It was the door right next to Maria's.

"Oh sh-" Maria whispered shakily, clamping a hand over her mouth.

" _Two_...hmm...let's mix things up a bit. How 'bout I check this row." Leon's voice spoke as Maria heard his footsteps walk away from her position and someplace else.

She had to do something. And this was her chance to. She couldn't chance the probability of them finding her friends. So she slowly opened the cupboard door, opening herself up to the world outside of it. _No one in sight._ _Okay...let's move. No guts, no glory_.

Maria carefully crawled out of the small space, closing the small door with care. Sliding out her knife from it's sheath, she gripped it with her right hand, blade facing upwards. Her other hand slid against the side of the counter she was behind, her fingers tracing the first cabinet door she passed. She felt the texture of a rough spot, immediately causing Maria to flinch. Giving it a quick look, she realized that she had touched the spot the malicious lion had stabbed with his knife.

 _Another reminder of why I need to hurry_ , she thought sourly.

She gradually peeked around the corner, seeing Leon loitered beside the door she had saw Elliot and Chloe crawl into. The bull monster was just behind him. She psyched her morale up internally, ready for her next phase of her plan. _This is crazy...okay, now just wait for him to stick the blade into the door..._

She watched him kneel down in front of the cabinet farthest to the left. _Oh no...that's their cabinet...I need to act now!_ , she mentally screamed, anxiety growing within her heart.

"I'm really sure about this one, Bull. You think I'll get it right this time, or are they just really damn fast; made it out of the back door already?"

"I don't know. You're call, boss."

The knife twirled skillfully in Leon's paws before aiming the tip at the selected cabinet.

Maria froze up. She couldn't bring herself to move her feet. _Dammit, Maria! Do something!_ , she scolded herself, gripping the knife's handle in her hand ever tightly.

Leon chuckled darkly. "Wouldn't want to chance it." With a quick thrust, the knife's blade embedded itself through the wooden cabinet. " _Three_...now...let's se-arrgh!"

A foot had shot out of the dark confines of the cabinet as Leon opened it, shoving sharply against Leon's cheek. He jerked backwards onto his back, holding the side of his face and cursing in anger. The face of Elliot met Maria's vision as he slipped out of the small door, pulling Chloe along with him.

"Maria, come from hiding now! Let's go!" Elliot shouted as he slid across the counter in front of him, avoiding facing Leon's lackey entirely. Chloe ran past the opposite side of the counter Elliot had cleared farthest away from the two monsters, tailing behind him.

"Come on, Maria!"

"I'm right behind you!" she replied, waiting for her friends to leave first. She had to make sure they were okay. They passed her and barged through the door, leaving the kitchen. Maria arose, running for the door to follow them, but-

"Argh!"

Maria felt a hand grip her arm, pulling her away from the door. An arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her to her assailant's chest. "Let go!" she screamed as she swung her knife, only for it to be wrenched from her arm. An all-to-familiar switchblade rested against her neck, the cold touch of the blade freezing her up entirely.

"Where do you think you're going, gorgeous?" the lion's voice cooed.

"Screw you. Elliot, Chloe! If you can hear me, please just keep ru-mmph!"

Leon's paw pressed tightly against her mouth, rendering her speechless. Sheathing his switchblade, he forcefully maneuvered her right arm behind her, moving her forward. "Bull, if you would please get the door for me."

"Yes, boss!"

Elliot and Chloe panted tiredly as they turned back towards the restaurant. "Where is she? They didn't get her, did they? Please tell me they didn't-"

"No, Chloe, they couldn't have! She's nimble. She'll find her way-"

They both paused as they saw the front door swing open, a disheartening sight beheld in front of them. The bull monster walked out first, holding the door open. Another second passed, and Maria emerged, Leon restraining her from behind.

"Let her go, now!" Elliot screamed, clenching his fist and gritting his teeth. This only earned him a laugh from the lion.

"Now where would be the fun in that? No, no, I have something better in mind. How's 'bout this; we take her back to King Asgore for a little chat. You have two hours. And bring your two other friends with you. If I count less than four humans, it's gonna get messy for your little buddy here." Leon told them, the switchblade unsheathed and against Maria's neck.

"Not a chance, furball! Elliot, listen to me. Find Icarus and Nyle and leave the city! Please don't worry about me. As long as you all make it out, I'll be glad to go out with a bang."

Elliot couldn't believe his ears. I mean, he knew how bold Maria could be at times, but this? What could he do? He couldn't think straight...for the first time since he could remember, he couldn't think straight!

"Heh, you've got spunk, girl; I'll give ya that...but I'd advise against the idea. Unless you really want to seal your pretty little fate in front of your pals here..." Leon warned him as he gripped Maria tighter, the knife threatening to cut skin.

"O-okay! Please, just don't hurt her!" Elliot screamed out, feeling Chloe's hand against his shoulder as she cowered behind him.

"Elliot..."

"I'm sorry. But we have no other choice...we...we accept your deal. But you have to promise you won't lay a single finger, claw, or whatever the hell on her!"

Leon licked his lips, eying the human he captured. "I don't know. That's a hard deal to ma-"

"PROMISE!" Elliot screamed, his temper building under pressure.

"Alright, alright. Sheesh, is this kid always like this?" Leon said, looking at Maria with a smirk.

Maria smiled back. "Yeah, kinda."

Leon was taken aback by her words, expecting a curse or another angry remark.

"Alright, humans. You know where Ebott Tower is, I'm sure. And if you don't, you better hope you find it before long. Or..."

Leon brung the knife from Maria's neck, rotating it slowly and mockingly observing it. "Well, you already know. Tick-tock. The clock is ticking, humans. And I don't want to see you take as much as a step before were out of view."

Backing up slowly, the lion rested the blade back against Maria's throat. "Would ya calm down with the stupid knife, you caught me already! Elliot, listen!"

Elliot couldn't stop staring at the switchblade pressed against her neck.

"You're the mastermind here, so I'm trusting you on this. Just see this as...a temporary inconvenience. You're smart. Work your way through it, okay? And if it comes down to it...don't be afraid to leave me behind. Two hours, Elliot. Get to it!" Maria told her friend.

With Leon's lackey following suit, the three slowly disappeared from view, one more shout ringing out from the lion monster's mouth.

" _Two hours_ , kids!"

And then a deadly silence.

They were completely out of sight.

Chloe moved from behind Elliot's form and shook his shoulder's from the front. "Elliot? E-Elliot...we need t-to move." Tears began to free-flow down her cheeks.

Without warning, Elliot slumped to his knees, causing her to step back. His hands pounded the pavement beneath him in frustration, his eyes clenched tightly shut. "No, no, _no_!"

 **And you call yourself a leader? A hero? A** _ **king**_ **? For** _ **whom**_ **, pray tell?**

Asgore store deeply into the mirror inside of the bathroom.

"It is for my people. For their freedom!"

 **So, that's your excuse?**

"This is a necessity! This is for the many years; centuries! Centuries that we had not with the sun and moon. The sun and moon that they, the _humans,_ had taken _away_ from us!"

 **Yes. Yes, you are correct. Let us reap the souls of the innocent. Men, women...** _ **children.**_

"Stop..."

 **Let us pillage their towns. Bring their settlements to-**

"Stop!"

 **Let us turn into the very monsters that** _ **you**_ **claim them to be!**

"I SAID _**STOP!**_ "

The sound of glass shattering rang throughout the restroom, the fragments littering the floor around the monster King. His fist went past the mirror panel and through the cement wall. Asgore's head drooped to look down at the floor, trying to hold back the emotions he swore to himself we would never let out.

"I'm not...I..."

Asgore closed his mouth, gritting his sharp teeth. With a grunt, he pulled back his embedded fist, pieces of cement falling to the ground below. The giant hole he had left was wide enough for him to clearly see through to the other side of the wall. And on the other side of the wall...was Alphys.

"U-uh...g-good morning, Asgore! I-I mean king! I-s-see you...um..."

Asgore sighed, giving the scientist a faint, slightly forced smile. "Alphys...forgive my sudden course of action. I've just been thinking."

Alphys stood stationary, tilting her red, spiraled glasses and clearing her throat. "I can see. I've spoken with the human captive. I told him you were due to speak with him soon. He should be expecting you."

Asgore turned back to the restroom door, trying to conceal the shaky breath he had let out.

"...good. I'll be seeing him soon, then. You're dismissed."


	4. Discussions

Years.

Years is exactly how long it felt to the human. Being trapped inside of the dark, gloomy room had taken a toll on him. Every creak, clatter and mumble brought him back out of the drowsiness that threatened to take him. He could hear noises. From whoever, or whatever lied up the stairs and behind that door...the door that the crazed lizard had entered through, and left laughing.

Laughing at him.

In reality, it had only been a couple months. He had heard it all through the windows on the tenth floor of the city tower. He heard the monstrous roars. The explosions, the screams...he had heard it all. He and his associates were ambushed during the crazed assault, the Monster's cornering them in their office as they charged inside the tower.

One of the monsters, one in an armored suit; fish-like, asked him if he was the "leader" of the Humans here in the city. He didn't really know how to respond. He was a mayor, not a president! And he told them this exactly. The armored one ordered his colleges and associates out of the room for the two to speak in private.

He never heard from them again.

It had been a heated argument. One-sided, of course, with the armored Monster shouting it's lungs out at him. He didn't get many words in between. There wasn't much for him to say, anyway. Once the armored one had finally calmed itself, it turned without another word to him and apparently ordered it's brethren to tie him up and move him to a disclosed location. It had already been cleared up for his arrival too.

About a day into his imprisonment was his first meeting with the crazed lizard scientist. And it wasn't one of much importance, either. She had just slowly and wordlessly made her way down the stairs and past his rope-restrained body, humming casually as she used a stool to reach the single fluorescent light bulb that was the only source of light in the rather small room. Unscrewing it, she replaced the light bulb with another, banging her fist against the base that held it. And now it wouldn't stop flickering.

He could just make out the smirk she must had failed to hold back as she quietly made her way back up to the door. And then it slammed.

And now, if he heard correctly from that lizard, he was due for a chat with the king himself.

The King of the Monsters.

He couldn't help but keep repeating the two words within his brain.

 _ **King.**_

 _ **Monsters.**_

 _ **King.**_

 _ **Monsters.**_

 _ **King.**_

 _ **Monst-**_

 ***Knock, knock***

The unanticipated knocking snapped the human out of his troubled thoughts, his head attempting to swivel around to face the door that resided behind him. He could only stretch his neck around so far, being tied to the metal chair he sat upon making the action quite the difficulty. Nonetheless, the door opened leisurely with a eerie creak, light pouring into the room from above the stairs behind him.

But only briefly.

The door was slammed in nearly a heartbeat. The human nearly gave out a shriek of surprise, but it ended up coming out as an abrupt exhalation of pent up air. A brief silence, then the loud thuds began. Heavy footsteps that slowly made their way down the stairs to the ground of the room he resided in. It was happening again.

Just like with that insane lizard with the needle.

The footsteps only grew heavier as they approached...until they were just behind him. It was only then when he saw the hue of an fiery-orange light from his right side. The heavy steps continued past him, the human's heart threatening to leave his chest.

"Oh. It seems Dr. Alphys forgot to fix the light bulb."

It was a deep voice, but the words rang out in a casual tone. The unknown figure was right in front of him, a ball of flame suspending above the palm of...a rather large hand. It was still hard for the human to make out any major bodily structures. The hand reached higher, the single ball of flame illuminating the faulty light bulb above it. Another hand; it's right one, came into view, grasping something. Screwing out the light bulb, it replaced it with a brand new one. Then it was twisted.

The room grew brighter in an instant. And the restrained human had visibly shrunk himself back as far as his restraints could possibly allow him to. His eyes met the figure that was once shrouded in darkness, tracing them up the form of the creature.

It was massive in size, height ranging about seven feet tall. It wore gray metal armor, pauldrons resting on each shoulder. A red cape was draped around it's back, and long and curved horns protruded out of it's head. A silver crown rested upon his head in the middle of those horns.

" _Oh God, no..."_

The tall figure shifted slightly, tilting his head to the left just a slither.

The human captive flinched hard in his chair as the Monster turned around, revealing it's full character. Blood-red eyes gazed back into his. A wide smile grew as it pulled at it's maw.

" _T-the king of the Monsters..."_

"Hello, human. My name is Asgore Dreemur. I am the king of the Monsters."

Just as the words were spoken, the door was opened once again, revealing two monsters, both in armor, carrying down a square table. As they left, another one lacking any armor arrived, carrying down a complete a tea set. Everything was set upon the square table and assorted in the correct fashion. The human gave a small jump in his seat as he felt the ropes that bonded him to it snap, finally giving him back the ability to move freely. He turned behind him to find the unarmored monster departing with a knife clenched in it's hand, leaving the human and Asgore alone once more.

A small pause ensued, Asgore bringing a fist to his mouth to cough.

"Would you like some tea, human?"

The question seemed to roll in and out of the human's ears over and over. He almost thought he had misheard the Monster King. The human's eyes trailed down to the tea set in front of him. _What if it was poisoned? What if they were just waiting for him to take a sip, get comfortable, and then strike at the moment where he'd least expec-_

Asgore leaned forward to pour himself some of the tea from the teapot into his cup, taking a slow sip as he shut his eyes. "Human, if you do not wish to have any, it is just fine."

Hesitatingly, the human nodded his head, accepting the tea. "Y-yes. I'm sorry. I-it would be an honor to."

Asgore opened his eyes and placed his cup down on the table. He grabbed the teapot and poured some tea into the human's teacup. "Please. Drink and relax."

The human adult did just as the King asked of him, easing his mind off of the possibility of poisoned tea.

 _He drunk it too...so maybe I'm overreacting..._

Slowly bringing the cup of tea to his lips, the human took a quick sip, trying to keep the look of content on his face.

"So, human. You have yet to tell me yours."

The human adult blinked as he brought his eyes off of the concentrated stare at the tea cup he held. It took him all of his might to bring himself to stare into Asgore's eyes. But he did nonetheless. And when he did, he could swear that the ruby-red irises bore deep past his eyes and directly through his soul.

"M-my...my what?" the human spoke as he stumbled over his words

Asgore gave out a hardy, low chuckle. "Your name, human. I have yet to learn of your name. It would be quite impolite of me to continue this discussion without knowing it."

The human replied without hesitation. "Winchester. M-my name is Winchester."

Asgore closed his eyes tightly, his smile ever present. "Winchester...that is a name somewhat foreign to me. It is nice to meet you, Winchester."

" _ **Goodbye."**_

 _ **A wall of flames surrounded Winchester, the Monster King now completely out his view. The human shrieked in terror as the walls of flame grew closer, the heat causing beads of sweat to drip down from his forehead.**_

 _ **The wall of flames had closed the distance. The towering flames that were finally upon him began to consume his form, an unbearable, searing and excruciating pain consuming his entire body.**_

" _ **No. NO! NOOO!"**_

Well...that's what he had expected to happen to him. But instead of his over-imaginative, but quite understandable theory taking form, another pour of tea was issued to Winchester by the Monster King.

Through the uncontrollable shaking of his hands and the unrelenting nervousness pecking at his brain, he had never truly stopped to properly register the fine and exquisite taste of the tea he was sipping. Winchester gazed at the now half-filled cup and then heavily raised his vision to the tall crowned creature that sat opposite of him.

"I...never tasted anything quite like this. Would...would you mind telling me what kind of tea this is?"

Asgore's eyebrows arched upwards, indicating awareness of an interesting new conversation brewing.. "Hmm? Well, I'd be glad to tell you. It is Golden Flower tea, made by the golden flowers of the Underground...under the mountain of Ebott in which we were sealed under for nearly a thousand years."

The information that Asgore gave out to Winchester was far more than the human had expected. _Sealed underground? Sealed under Mt. Ebott? The mountain that resided just outside of the city?_

Was this why the Monsters were attacking? Because they were 'imprisoned' under the earth? It was all too much for Winchester to comprehend. There was so much he needed to know, and he knew absolutely nothing.

"So...now that I have told you what this tea is made of, I think that you owe me an answer as well." Asgore commented, setting his teacup down rather boldly. "Now, might If you could answer me this: are you the leader of these Humans?"

The question was a simple one. But he didn't know at what context he meant. "I-I am the mayor of this city. I simply discuss matters pertaining to this city, but not the whole world! T-there are much more qualified people to speak with you on this matter. T-there are nations around the world with leaders and officials of their own! N-no Human truly has an upholding rule over the entire race and I certainly am not of any-"

"STOP YOUR _BANTERING_."

The mayor shrunk in his chair, his eyelids clenched together tightly in fear of witnessing the aftermath of what the Monster King could do to him.

Damn. He lost it again. Asgore had rehearsed what he wanted to ask at least ten times before coming in...and how to do so without skewering the human with his trident. It was a battle of temptation. He had a human captured personally for him and it took all of his will not to end him right there. So he took a deep breath.

"...Forgive my hastiness...I...do not wish for you to stress."

Winchester remained silent, in fear of provoking Asgore's anger further.

"...So, you were saying about these...human nations? Could you please continue?" Asgore continued, a lighter tone of voice present. King Asgore was staring directly into the human's eyes; non-moving.

The mayor's took another shaky sip of his Golden flower tea, setting it down softly after his cup ran dry. He cleared his throat, hoping to unclog the lump of nervousness that stopped him from speaking.

"P-please...A-Asgore, I only know that there are different major masses of land that each have their own kind of ruler. Most are presidents, some are monarchs, and some are even dictators of sorts!"

"Then what is the _leader_ of **THIS** land called?" Asgore said impatiently, anger hazardously seeping out through his clenched teeth.

Winchester gulped at the Monster King. He was blinded by fear to the point of forgetting to get to the point. He was simply rambling. "P-President Simon Wellstone. But, this is only an island! The president resides on a continent far off from here. This is only a piece of that land." the human informed Asgore, hoping the intelligence satisfied him enough.

Asgore let out a deep sigh. "The information is well appreciated, human." Another grin pulled at the monster king's maw.

"A-and...about your people," Winchester added in. "Look, I'm not saying this just to get on your good side, but I have no idea what you all had to have been through to up and start a war against us. A lot of us have been through pain too, and I'm sure tha-"

"You couldn't _**possibly**_ know what pain is." Asgore interjected, seething at Winchester in a low, venomous tone. "I lost _**two children**_ because of what _your kind_ did all those years ago. It seems _nothing_ has changed."

Something in the human mayor snapped. Mayor Winchester rose from his chair in a flash, the unexpected, build-up frustration and anger flowing out of his mouth like a waterfall. " And I'm sure I've lost my daughter, two sons, my mother and MY WIFE! They came to visit and I haven't been in contact with them ever since this _crusade_ started! Don't you even TELL ME I don't know what loss is!"

Asgore himself flinched. _He_ of all people...actually flinched. The Monster King's eyes widened, but only for a second. "Do NOT speak to me in that tone. I'd kill you right now if I hadn't of reminded myself to be patient!"

"No! I have just as much of a right to speak as YOU do, Asgore!"

Asgore's bared his sharp teeth, a deafening roar escaping his maw. He swung his arm into the air, a fiery trident summoned from the magical flames he created. He slashed it against the empty air and gripped it with his two paws, and pointed at Winchester's face.

"I am more afraid of what might of happened to my own family then I am of what your trident could _ever_ do to me." Winchester said in indignation, his face growing redder.

Winchester's own anger had surprised him himself. But that's what the love for your family could do to you. And Winchester had something to say.

However, in the midst of all the outrage, he had failed to notice the glowing heart that hovered in front of him and between him and Asgore. The bright display reflected into the awed eyes of the human.

"What...what is that?" Winchester asked with childish curiosity, his eyes never leaving the heart.

Asgore lowered his trident from the human's face, answering with narrowed eyes. "It is your SOUL. The very accumulation of your being. And be _ever_ joyous that I have not taken it from you yet."

Winchester felt the rage within the lowered tone in his words, but he just couldn't separate his vision from the spectacle in front of him. Though, it soon faded from existence. Mayor Winchester blinked his eyes rapidly before bringing it back to the form of a rather unhappy Monster King.

"I will now take my leave, Winchester. Be grateful you have given me useful information of sorts. Otherwise you wouldn't still be breathing." Asgore warned him dangerously, his trident withering from existence. Asgore arose from his seat, walking past the human without another word.

Just as he put his paw on the door handle to exit the room, the human mayor began to speak again.

"King Asgore...I don't know what exactly you all must have gone through...but if we cannot relate on a species level...then let us relate on an experience level. We've both lost things dear to us. At least we both have that to associate with."

Asgore gritted his teeth, and opened the door, slamming it behind him. He clenched his eyes tightly closed as he leaned against the wall. **Don't you dare, Asgore. Don't you dare start crying. Not after all you've done. Not after how far you've come. We've come.**

 _N-no...I'm not. I just- what the human said..._

 **To** _ **hell**_ **with what the human said. Monsters have lost people too. Your own kind. Need I reminded you that in the war, not a single Human SOUL was lost. They slaughtered us all. They've lost nothing but the gifted presence of us in their world.**

 _Yes, I remember the war as clear as day...w-we all do-_

 **Then you know what you need to do.**

 _...Yes. I do._

"King Asgore!"

The call caught him off guard, forcefully prying him from his thoughts. He nearly summoned his trident by instinctive surprise, but he scolded himself internally for his near-lack of control.

"My king? If you are done with the human, would you like me to tie him back up?" the unarmored monster from earlier asked, approaching from behind.

A small pause, with Asgore answering as he turned to walk away. "Yes. But bring a guard with you for your safety."

"Yes, my king."

As Asgore continued his walk back to the elevator, his thoughts wondered back to what he had witnessed in the middle of the heated yelling match between him and the human mayor. The SOUL that had arisen from the human; up in display for Asgore to see.

Asgore recognized the color of the human mayor's SOUL as it emerged from his chest.

The color that had caused him to flinch.

It was the color red. Red for _**DETERMINATION**_.

Just like Frisk.

 **AN:**

 _ **HERE'S A BLOOPER FOR YA:**_

"P-please...A-Asgore, I only know that there are different major masses of land that each have their own kind of ruler. Most are presidents, some are monarchs, and some are even dictators of sorts!"

"Then what is the _leader_ of **THIS** land called?" Asgore said impatiently, anger hazardously seeping out through his clenched teeth.

"President Chuck Norris."

Asgore narrowed his eyes at the mayor.

"AH-HAHA! Oh, I'm just busting your chops, Asgore! Whoo! Almost had ya. His name is actually President Donald Tru-"

" **Don't** you **even** _say it_."

 _ **Yeah, that was a pretty terrible blooper. I promise the next chapter won't be as bad.**_


	5. Beliefs

" _Humans are futile as a species."_

His brain must have been a broken record words kept replaying through the young monster's mind as he made his way to the newly proclaimed 'throne room', his blood-red robe lagging against the ground behind him. His feet weighed heavily and felt as if they would soon lose all feeling, the closer he got to the double doors. After his journey to the end of the hallway was through, he was met by two monster guards donning armor standing guard. They stepped aside, nodding to him in recognition.

A deep breath, then the young monster pushed the doors inwards.

Flinching, he turned his head away slightly as a brighter scene settled out in front of him. He quickly regained full reflex control of his eyelids, opening them back up wider. And there before him was a taller form looking similar to his, occupying a bronze throne. His elbow rested on the arm of the throne chair as his hand held his head. A crown was seated in between his horns.

"Hello, father." the adult monster greeted, giving a slight bow. "You requested me to come?"

Asgore brung his head from his hand and rested both forearms on the two arms of the throne. "Yes, Asriel. I have called you down here for a certain task I ask of you...but I have gotten word that you also wanted to speak with me about something."

Asriel blinked, nearly having forgotten how to say it. As one of their messengers arrived after being sent to inform of Asgore's request, he told the messenger that he would need to ask something to him as well. More of a singular question, if anything. But it was not just any old question. It was one that would cause his father to evaluate once again where his loyalty lay. The doubts of even quizzing such a question had begun to set in long before he had entered the throne room.

"Yes..." Asriel's eyes trailed to the ground for a brief moment. "It's just..."

"Get to the point, son." Asgore sat stationary, his eyes piercing through Asriel's, studying him intently.

"It's about this war..." Asgore's eyes narrowed rather dangerously at the spoken words. Just as Asriel expected they would. Shifting in his throne, the king lifted his chin, leaning back into his throne and intertwining his fingers with one another. In a deep tone, he urged his son on.

"Continue."

"Of-of course. I mean, are you truly sure there isn't another way to re-approach this? What if we had just tried to negotiate with them, instead of...ya know, all of this?" Asriel waved his arms slowly around the large room, now a catalyst for his father's kingly throne, human maps, and other informational books.

"There's a world full of them. More-so than us, I'm sure. Do you...are you not contesting that maybe, just maybe, there are still good humans out there? That this is all-"

"ASRIEL DREEMUR."

Prince Asriel froze in place as his father's voice boomed throughout the room. His mouth felt dry and void of anymore words, and he could feel a heavy and foreboding feeling growing in his stomach. "Are you having doubts?" Asgore finally asked, straightening himself in the throne chair. "It matters not of these human's current moral build. Their foundation was originally built upon what they've done to us in the past. That is where their true nature resides."

Distant memories of stories Asriel's mother used to tell him pertaining to the terrible things humans had done to them during the war came crashing back through his mind like an unexpected wave.

 _ **They taunted our comrades...they went for the final blows.**_

 _ **...rounded up defeated monsters...cut them down where they lay, even after all of the pleading.**_

 _ **Dust was everywhere...it permeated the air...unbearable inhaling what was once a soldier that once fought beside you...inhaling what once was your brother or sister...**_

As faint as they were, he still remembered the tales; some being bits of the conversations he heard from his parents when he was still a child. Even before he met _Chara_.

"B-but...Chara-" Asriel attempted to reason.

"Need I remind you? Of what these humans _**did**_ to you and Chara?"

Asriel's eyes widened fully in an instant.

"Are they not the reason they are no longer within the golden flower garden of their very own village? Where they wanted their final rest? Why they were brought back to the Underground in the flesh? I'm sure you remember the incident as clearly as it occurred. Humans are the main reason they resides within you simply as a _SOUL_." Asgore finished, his voice of authority reigning through without failure.

Asriel's once widened eyes narrowed, his pupils turning into , he did. He did remember. He remembered it as clear as the finest glass...

"Asriel! Don't you dare leave! The humans- they'll-" Toriel's scolding was cut off by ASRIEL.

"I don't care. Chara deserves at least this much. I will fulfill her wish and take her to rest on the golden flowers." Asriel looked sorrowfully back at the small, lifeless child that lay cradled in his arms, their arms swaying lifelessly as his feet left the ground.

His father Asgore's attitude didn't quite match his mother's. Asgore placed a paw on Toriel's shoulder as Asriel's form carried their precious Chara through the barrier and out of sight. Toriel flinched at his touch, her furry, tear-soaked face looking at him from an angle.

"Tori-"

Toriel threw herself against Asgore's chest, preventing him the chance to finish. "Oh, Asgore!" she cried out, burying her face into his neck. Her silver crown flew forward onto the ground behind them, emitting a *clank* as she wrapped her arms around him in grieving.

Rubbing a paw against her back, he assured her in a bold tone of voice, "Do not fret, my love. Matters are now in our son's hands. We'll just have to hope that despite whatever does happen, he makes it back home safely." But as hard as the king tried at keeping a strong resolve, he felt something deep inside of him begin to stir.

Past the barrier, Asriel had gone. The young prince's eyes had finally recovered from the effects of the blinding ball of light that hung high in the clear-blue sky. The foreign sight of the world around him both mesmerized and frightened him. Though, in the form of an older transfiguration of himself, his child-like wonder remained in tact.

"So...this is what has been kept from us for soo long..." Asriel said in a whisper, the grassy terrain and multicolored flowers causing his eyes to wonder all about. As he studied the different sights beheld from all directions, he felt the itching urge to reach out and brush his paw against the emerald grass underneath him, or to fly up as far as he could to see if he could ever get up high enough to touch the fluffy cotton puffs that floated above in the sky.

" **Go ahead, Asriel. Go on, see how it feels! I mean, when I roll around in the grass, I end up getting really itchy, but it feels so soft!"**

Asriel blinked, shooting his head towards the body he clutched against himself. Chara's form was still unmoving. Like it had been ever since he left through the barrier. Nothing had changed.

A sudden light weight pressed against the top of Asriel's head. Nonetheless, he was unflinching, tilting his vision up slowly in curiosity. On top of his head rested a bright-red bird, its eyes meeting his in return. A small pause between the two creatures. And then the avian lifted off in flight, leaving now only one animate being amongst the three. The bird. Asriel. _Chara_.

"I mustn't be sidetracked! I must hurry." Asriel reminded himself internally. He nearly chastised himself. How could he be caught in a daydream at a time like this? Chara needed him _now_ , regardless of the new and marvelous sights that were now available for him to see and experience!

And so he began forward down the mountain. Almost immediately, the structure of small buildings could already be identified. _Yes_ , Asriel thought assuredly. _This has to be it._

But first, he had to traverse through the thick forest that stood between the mountain and the village. It only took at least ten minutes and nothing more. He was now at the front gate that led inside the village's square. He found the sight of a few humans unaware of his presence walking about into their homes and tending to other tasks. He growled irritatedly at them. Asriel's focus was brought back to the gate.

 _Pssshh. Gate._

Asriel began to hover again, his feet now past the top of the obstructive gate. Up and over he went without lifting a single finger. He couldn't have afforded to anyhow; not while he had his hands full with Chara...and as his feet landed back upon the ground inside of the village, he eventually gained the attention of some bystanders.

"Estave, w-what is that?" a feminine human called out in a fearful sputter. Quickly urging the lady back through the door, of what was presumably her house, was a man.

"Honey, get inside now."

Ignoring the distraught humans, Asriel continued in his search for the flowerbed's locational whereabouts. "Where is it?" the prince muttered to himself, his head jerking impatiently in all directions. He already knew the longer he took, he bigger of a problem he would have to face. It wouldn't be very long before he caught attention of the whole villa-

"Finally, there you are." Asriel murmured as his eyes were at last laid upon a beautifully displayed garden that resided through another rather smaller gated section of the village. Only a small distance a way, and Chara would finally find rest. Not wanting to attract anymore attention than he already had, Asriel attempted to press his shoulders against the shiny metal gate to avoid floating over it. Luckily for him, instead of the sturdy resistance of a locked gate, the door swung open in reaction to the contact, a rather irritating creaking following suit.

His eyes were met with a arraying multitude of flowers, all neatly arranged in a circle that went fully around the gated garden. Different kinds met his vision as he circled his body to meet them all. There were purple ones, and red ones, and orange ones, ones of violet and-

Asriel shook his head, trying to narrow the focus that threatened to explode in his head like a balloon filling with multi-colored paint. And with that focus conquered, he finally recognized the most vital of flowers to him at the moment. Directly in the center of the garden, laid implanted in the shape of a large circle, was a magnificent bed of brightly-hued yellow flowers.

 _Golden_ flowers.

"Yes. Yes. This has to be what they wanted me to put-"

A sudden call cut him off.

"T-there! In the garden! There it is, there's the creature!"

Asriel swung himself around, cradling Chara's body closer as he was met with a worrying scene. A small group of adult humans approached timidly, but without hesitation. He could see the pitchforks, shovels and...and...one odd-looking thing of some kind held in the hands of one of the humans. It stood out to him overall. It was... _foreign_ to his eyes. The human that held this mysterious weapon stood in the front of the crowd and had it pointed right at him.

Thoughts of what his father had taught him in training had started to flood back into his mind.

" _ **Now remember, my son...and I shouldn't have to tell you this again, but should you come in contact with an enemy, and they have a weapon pointed at you; sword, dagger, or hand, It is either for attention, a warning, or something else is bound to happen."**_

" _ **What do you mean by this exactly, father? Can you demonstrate?"**_

 _ **Asgore held out his hand toward Asriel, palm facing forward.**_

 _ **Asriel arched an eyebrow. "So, you're telling me to stop?"**_

 _ **Just as he got his last words out, a flame appeared in an instant and streaked towards Asriel's form, giving him only a fraction of a moment to react. "Hey! I'm on your side remember! And not to mention your son!"**_

" _ **But did you get the point?" Asgore lowered his hand.**_

 _ **The young prince went quiet with thought before he finally gave his answer. "Any and all things pointed at you, especially with purposeful intent means that they either want your attention, or mean to do you harm."**_

" _ **Yes, correct. And it is up to you to decide which it is."**_

Asriel's mind snapped back to reality,

"Creature, leave this town! N-NOW!"

Blinking his eyes, he focused on the long, stick-like weapon that remained pointed at him. He also noticed the change in expression on the face of the human that held this weapon had. Stepping forward, the human cocked back a piece of the weapon, a _*cha-chink*_ emitted in reaction. A few humans backed up.

"W-who is that you're holding? Is-is that a child!?"

Something in Asriel's brain had told him to retreat back, but he was too caught up in the moment to fully respond. A select group of humans approached even closer, the human with the unbeknown stick weapon continuing to lead from the front.

"That's a child. Oh my, that's a human child!" a woman called out somewhere within the gathering crowd of horrified humans. Separating from the crowd and singularly towards Asriel, the lead human raised the mysterious stick weapon to his head, aiming it straight for the monster's chest.

"Last chance! Drop the child...FINAL WARNING!"

The words kept repeating themselves within Asriel's head.

" _ **Any and all things pointed at you, especially with purposeful intent means that they either want your attention, or mean to do you harm."**_

" _ **Yes, correct. And it is up to you to decide which it is."**_

The young prince already had a fire spell brewing inside of his head for whatever came next. He held a hand up, keeping Chara secure with his remaining arm.

"Listen, you humans, I did not come here for trouble. I simply wanted to bring this child back to-" But things happened much quicker than he expected them to. Without warning, a loud boom rang out, and Asriel instinctively reacted, creating a small wall of flames in front of him. Despite his efforts, the small cylinder projectile that traveled from the stick weapon slipped straight through the fire he conjured, swiftly nailing him straight in the gut.

The monster prince stumbled back in reaction, his back impacting the gate he stood in front of. It rattled as he looked down to find a miniature hole in his pain that followed was unbearable. It was a wrenching feeling he could not place. The unquenchable need to hold in the dust that was seeping out of the circular wound became an itching necessity, but he couldn't let go of...

Chara.

Chara...they nearly hurt his Chara! Asriel's eyes went wide with anger, and a feral, but low growl rang out of his maw. He could no longer hear the cocktail mix of terrified and angry cries coming from the humans.

They were a danger to him...and to Chara. So Asriel turned back towards the garden, furiously barging his shoulder against the gate. It swung open, giving out a much louder creak than earlier before. Struggling to ignore the injury he had received, he hastily floated over to the large bed of Golden flowers, gently lying Chara upon them. Asriel's anger softened as he looked at their unmoving face, brushing a paw against it with care. The human voices came back to his attention in full-force. And so did Asriel's unrelenting need for retaliation.

The monster prince swung his head back towards the humans in a flash, lifting himself higher and higher into the air and above the village. The act had caused a multitude of humans to gasp in shock, and the human in front; stick weapon in hand, raised it with a greater intent to do more harm. The sight of this caused something to break within Asriel's mind. Raising an arm, the prince sent a stream of flames from the palm of his hand and towards the human. With only seconds to work with, some humans made it out of the vicinity of danger while the rest, including the human that had hurt him, were submerged in flames.

The cries of the retreating humans and shrieks of the ones too late gave Asriel an ecstasy rush. The soundtrack of screams and the hurried trampling of feet against the surface of the earth caused his emotions to do a complete flip. He was no longer just angry. He was...excited. He was caught in a moment of a sickeningly sweet realization. Humans were all right here, for him and him alone. And they would certainly pay for what they did to Chara, both then AND almost now.

The monster prince's frown formed into that of a Cheshire grin, so wide that in fact, you could mistake in thinking it went from ear to ear.

Maybe it _did_.

"You will _all_. _**ĐῙϱ**_."

The loud voice rang down in a distorted echo, akin to a yell in a canyon. This only added to the growing fray of chaos as Asriel summoned an collection of fireballs and directed multiple shots among the townhouses and structures throughout the village. Homes caught fire, scorch marks were left in the dirt, and people stumbled for their lives. He was so caught up in the chaos, he barely even registered the laughs of insanity that rang from out of his own mouth.

Suddenly, something strong panged from inside of Asriel's chest. He felt something pulling weakly at his soul.

 _ **Asriel, stop!**_

Asriel thought he was going completely mad, even more than he already was. But he in fact, wasn't.

 _ **Stop this now, Asriel!**_

And everything that happened in that village afterward was nothing but a blur of white and orange. All Asriel remembered was the heat building up around him as he picked up Chara's body and his trip back to the mountain; through the barrier. Despite what Chara would have wanted, he would not leave them there. Not with those _vile_ humans. Chara deserved peace, and it would not be found in the midst of that burning village.

So, with their form clutched in his arms, Asriel traversed back up the mountain. He crossed through the barrier, and his parents rejoiced at the sight. They rejoiced as he floated back down the mountain's opening, his form nothing but a shadowy silhouette against the ray of light from the Surface that shot down above him. It wasn't long before the King and Queen of Monsters noticed the small form still clutched in their son's hand. Before they noticed his twisted grin, and...and the miniature wound that resided at his waist area. He was still bleeding out dust, although the rate at which it did had slowed.

"Mom! Dad!" Asriel began in a laugh. "The humans...you-you were right about them. They attacked me; nearly hurt Chara..." the prince growled dangerously upon the memory. "I-I razed the village, killed them all! You-you should have...seen it..."

Asriel noticed what they're eyes were fixated upon, and as his eyes traced down his body, he caught note of the wound he had completely forgotten was inflicted upon him. He slowly raised his sight back at his parents. The pain came back to him an in instant, and he slowly wavered as he fell to his knees and collapsed onto the ground. Chara rolled out of his grasp and stopped, resting on their side.

King Asgore and Queen Toriel were shaken to the core. At the moment, they were too shocked to move. Their son had just fallen right in front of them, and...but he didn't turn to dust...

"Honey, he's still alive! He needs to be healed NOW!" Toriel screamed to her husband as she ran to her son, attempting to pick him up.

"No! I will get Asriel. You tend to Chara's body." Asgore said as he approached, lifting his son from the ground with ease. Toriel did as her husband suggested, taking the smaller form into her arms.

A day later, Asriel rested upon the bed of his room, the rhythm of his steady breathing lifting his chest up and down. Toriel was seated in front of him in a chair, her head rested upon this very chest after haven fallen asleep. She had rested there to assure herself that her son was still with them. And should his chest stop moving, she would know. Meanwhile, Asgore resided behind her in a chair of his own, lightly tapping a foot against the floor in repetition.

Asgore thought she was taking unnecessary precautions. His son's wound was a dangerous one, and one their doctors had little experience with. But through a miracle, they had been successful in treating him. However, Asriel was not expected to be up and about for another week or so. And with Chara's soul still within him with no other way to extract it, he would forever be stuck in the form he had transformed into. He understood Toriel's actions, nonetheless. It was her son, and that was enough by itself.

Asgore's anger double over that day. It was the day that Asgore promised to claim full vengeance upon the Humans above. Then came the fight with his wife...then came their separation...and the collection of the seven human souls...

And now here they were in this very moment.

Asriel's eyes closed tightly, shutting out the hot tears that threatened to pour out. "They nearly killed you too, Asriel. And in your presence once more, what do you think they would do to you then? It is _far_ too late to even consider making peace, so keep the idea out of your head." Asgore finished, leaning back in his throne. Asriel didn't respond; just stood wordless.

"And just as they haven't changed, so hasn't our motto."

"Kill or be killed..." Asriel stated softly.

"Now, if you are ready, let's get back to my reason for bringing you here. I have a mission for you to partake in."

Asriel felt...lost. Wasn't Chara enough proof? Weren't _they_ enough? But those who caused their death...those who caused _their_ death...

Composing himself as best as he could manage, Asriel straightened himself back up. "What...what do you require of me to do?"

Asgore leaned forward in the throne seat, arising to his feet. With his hands rested behind his back, Asgore had only made four steps before he stood stationary in front of his son. Even in Asriel's adult form, Asgore easily towered over him by an additional foot. Asriel's eyes barely managed to train into his father's. Thankfully for him, Asgore turned away and headed towards a table across the room.

"Follow me. I will show you."

Asriel trailed behind, halting as his father did. Asgore stepped to the side for him to see what was laid upon the wooden furniture. A map of what seemed to be the whole island they resided in rested on the table. Asgore pointed to a particular area that resided close to what was Ebott City.

"This is where I need you. You are to meet up with another party and begin your search around this town. It is called...Florence Town. They'll be waiting for you just before the entrance."

Asriel's hands gripped the edge of the table as his eyes scanned and studied the laid-out map. "...Okay. I think I got it. But I'm probably going to need the map just in case." Asgore nodded, rolling up the map and handing it to him. "Just west of Ebott..."

Asgore stepped away from the table and turned away from his son. "Time is a very precious thing. Please have this done within the next two days. And let your actions be swift. Then you will report back to me. I have a bigger plan being set in motion...be on your way, my son."

Asriel nodded, turning on his feet towards the doubled doors to leave. "I will see that my task is completed as soon as possible, father." Asriel spoke as his eyes glinted with a hatred he had nearly forgotten. Just before he could reach the exit, the doors swung open, revealing a guard with two monsters following in behind. And in between those two monsters...

"King Asgore, guess who we caught straggling around the city?" the lion asked with a toothy grin, pushing the captive forward. She stumbled onto the cold, tiled floor not far from the king. Asgore's eyes widened in surprise, then quickly morphed into that of pure malice. His eyes even seemed to grow darker.

In front of him now, was a human.

"Hey, you push me like that again, and I swear to you that you'll regret it!" Maria warned, clenching her fist at the two monsters.

"Tch, like your in a position to talk." Leon snickered back as he playfully pulled on the sleeve of his leather jacket. Maria gave her captors a glare before facing ahead of her. And what she saw froze her as stiff as an ice sculpture. The horned goat prince grinned widely at her bewilderment, bending down to offer her a hand.

"That's no way to treat a lady, you two." Asriel said, his white pupils locking onto her own. They gave off a soft, calming gleam. However, there was a vibe of something much more behind them. And it gave her the feeling of a venomous snake hidden amongst the tall, beautiful grass.

"N-no thanks, goat boy. I already have a love interest." Maria quipped, turning away timidly. Asriel's smile was completely erased.

" _Goat boy_!? I am surely much older than you, And that is _not_ what I was trying to-"

"Asriel! Bring her to me, _now_." Asgore's command was made clear and Asriel eyed the human with distaste as he grabbed her wrist, roughly pulling her to her feet. "Okay, okay! Geez." Maria uttered in response. But as Maria was forced forward, she made the mistake of looking up at the king. The anger she felt from the deep look his eyes made her extremely anxious. Her face shot back down hastily to escape the possibility of a psychological death.

"Why is she still alive? I specifically issued that every human be executed ON SIGHT!" Asgore scolded as he turned to Leon and his accomplice. "She was with a larger group! I-I told them to meet us here at the tower if they wanted her back. The should be on their way now." Leon reasoned fearfully.

Unlike Leon's reaction, Asriel simply blinked. He restricted Maria's struggling, escorting her closer towards the towering figure that was the monster king and let her go in front of him. She could practically feel his gaze fall directly upon her, and she was too apprehensive to have her gaze meet back. This was the monster king that she had heard Leon mention earlier. The one that drove _everyone_ apart.

"So...you're King Asgore, am I right?" Maria asked in a shaky tone, her eyes only meeting his for another second. They quickly diverted, ultimately choosing to remain to the ground in stagnancy. She would have kept them there if she could have. "You are to look at the king when you speak with him. Where exactly are your manners, darling?" Asriel's hand gripped her chin, shifting her head to face Asgore.

"Gee, thanks, Asriel. I can see much better now." Maria uttered halfheartedly, earning an annoyed grunt from the horned prince.

Asgore's eyes gazed unmovingly into Maria's, and they seemed to scan her from head to feet all the same. Maria wanted desperately to shut her eyes tight and never open them again. She _tried_ being brave. She store down every monster she encountered on the way inside of the tower. When they growled at her, she growled back, letting out a series of small chuckles as she was ushered on. She strutted a forced smile that screamed against adversity plastered onto her face as she went down the fluorescent hallways. She _tried_ being patient. But she wished that they would just let her go free so she could see her friends again. And now, she felt that she couldn't abide much longer.

And when they opened the doors...when her eyes laid sight upon the king...

 _Something shattered._

Like the reality of her situation was finally beginning to set inside of her soul. A reality she had tried to keep behind her for her friends and the sake of her own sanity. And this reality was realized when she first set eyes on Asgore.

"What is your name, human?" the deep voice of Asgore barreled down at the human, causing her to shudder inside.

"M-Maria."

Asgore emitted a laughter that rang throughout the throne room. Maria covered her ears in reaction, gritting her teeth, but there was no escaping the shrill echoing that proceeded to emanate around the room. Although slightly muffled by her hands, she could still hear it clearly. "Maria?" Asgore's newly sprouted smile never faltered. Kneeling to her level, he held out a large paw for her to take. "It is a pleasure to meet you... _Maria_."

She stood as still as a statue, not daring to make even the slightest move. She just store at the monster king as blankly as she could. "What? No good with greetings?" Asgore slowly pulled back his hand. Maria hadn't even realized she was holding in her breath until Asgore spoke again, turning his back to her. "Where are your friends? I'm guaranteed sure that they are worried about you. How about you tell us where they might of went and maybe we can help them find-"

"If you're trying to intimidate me, you're not doing a good job."

As the words slipped from out of Maria, she mentally cursed herself for not having covered her mouth beforehand. But she decided to keep her resolve. "My friends...whatever decision they choose to make, it won't be a stupid one. Besides, I've got a _brainiac_ on my side."

Asgore abided in silence. His unmoving form remained still as if time itself had suddenly halted. Small beads of sweat gradually began to form on Maria's forehead as she chose to carry her words on. "And you know what else-" Asgore's form whipped around in a flash, his unmerciful teeth bared and his newly created, fiery trident raised high as he lunged at the human with a deafening roar. Maria screamed. She screamed louder than she ever had in her life; she swore the instant the goat king moved, her life instantly flashed right in front of her. Her eyes shut tight as she awaited for the end...

But it never came. To be honest, she couldn't quite tell if it had or not...maybe her death was as swift as the king had been when he lurched. The fresh feeling of pure dread still resided within her and she refused to unclench her eyes. But thankfully, the fear-fueled adrenaline had gradually begun to drain away and she found what little courage that remained to creep her eyes open. The lights became more apparent to her vision once again, but her eyes went even wider after now being witness to the most terrifying sight she had ever witnessed first-hand yet. Asgore's trident had stopped right in front of her face and the king's eyes were staring directly into hers; a fire seemed to be burning in them. The same maddening and wicked smile was stuck on his face.

Everything went quiet. Maria did not dare to move and the monsters around her seemed to share the same stagnancy of their postures. Although Maria continued to maintain the form of a deer in the headlights, something of hers did move. She felt it as it slowly trailed down her right cheek and stop at her chin as it finally dripped off and hit the floor in a practically inaudible, and miniature splash. She brung a hand to wipe her cheek, only to find that she was actually crying. Asgore's trident disappeared, his form laggardly arising to his full height.

"I'm not trying to intimidate you, Maria." Asgore spoke in monotony. "I _AM_ intimidating you."

Everyone's heads turned toward the double doors as they suddenly burst open again, two more monsters stopping just short of them, panting from exhaustion. '"Wha- what the hell took you two so long?" Leon asked, as his two other lackeys, Wolfie and Keen, tried to get the words out.

"S-sorry boss! But they got away. We've been searching for those slippery bastards for hours, and nothin'." Keen told him.

Leon went quiet. "Now, why would that be an issue?" There was a great shift in the air as the words uttered out of Asgore's mouth. "Why waste our energy searching for them, when the _lovely Maria_ is right here to have given them enough reason to come back? Wasn't that your plan all along, Leon?"

"Well yes, but...maybe they won't-"

"Oh, they won't." Maria interrupted. "They know that my last wish would be to see them safe and alive. And we all know what you'd all do to them if they did choose to show up. So I guess that plan is scratched off your-"

"SILENCE, HUMAN!"

Asgore's roar had swiftly shut Maria's speech down. Asgore turned to his son, nodding his head toward the entrance. "Asriel, take the human to the captive room. Dr. Gaster should have the key. And make sure she's under restraints. The humans will be here eventually...and first impressions are _always_ the most important. Heheh..."

Asriel strided toward Maria, pulling her up from the ground and maneuvering her arms around her back. "Come on-" Asriel flinched back as the human whipped around and spat in his face. His immediate response was grabbing her by the neck. "How DARE you!" Asriel screamed. She struggled for air as his hand tightened. She began to feel fuzzy. Her feet were no longer on the floor.

"Asriel Dreemur! We need her ALIVE! Release her this instant!"

His father's words snapped him out of his rage as his hand released from around Maria's neck, causing her to slump to the floor, gasping for oxygen.

Asgore stepped forward, his words deep and bold. "Do NOT _EVER_ do that again, Dreemur. Your putting yourself in a very dangerous place by not following a direct command, do you understand?"

Asriel's eyes never left the form of the human. "Yes, father. Forgive me." His words came out more in a growl then anything else.

"Now take her to the captive room. And from there, you know what task you must tend to next."

"Yes, father."

As Asriel made his way out with Maria, only Leon and his crew remained. "You four are dismissed." Asgore said as he walked back to his throne chair.

"Y-yes, sir. We'll be awaiting any report of the other humans." Leon said as he and the others hastily walked back toward the double doors.

"Oh, and Wolfie and Keen?"

Leon and the three froze as the respective two lackeys turned to face Asgore, obvious worry written all over their faces. A gentle-looking smile stretched on Asgore's face. "If you burst in here again without my consent or without another guard to accompany you, I'll have you heads."

The king tried his best not to burst out laughing as he observed the terrified looks on the group's faces. "T-they won't do it again, my king. They all swear! R-right guys?" Leon said in their defense, letting out a nervous chuckle. They all concurred, giving out anxious chuckles of their own.

"Good, you can all leave now."

Leon and friends did their best not to rush out of the room, but eventually the doors did close shut and Asgore was finally left all alone. He sat back down in his throne chair, rubbing his head with his paws. He thought of the human children as nothing but a nuisance. And soon, there would be no more humans amongst this city. He had already charged a full assault against the island, and the humans were completely taken by surprise. They barely lasted the week, and the scattering number of humans that survived went into hiding.

 _ **They were smart to have. But no matter, they'll all perish in the end.**_

The Monster king had pondered what the human mayor told him the day before. If the human's had their own worldwide leaders, why weren't they assisting the ones of this island? Where were they? _Ha! Cowards, the lot of them. But m_ aybe he was growing a little too cocky. Asgore began to tap his finger rhythmically against the arm of the throne chair. _Maybe they already know...and they're just...waiting._

Asgore grew silent again in thought as he eased back. His eyes slowly drooped closed.

"But no matter. As of now...we wait."

 _ **Yes, yes.**_ **Now, we** _ **wait**_ **.**


End file.
